Final Post for baby Oaklyn

“On 6/28/21, Ms. Oaklyn Ford showed us a different kind of strength. She fought and fought and fought for us, for everyone, but her body finally told us she couldn’t do it anymore. Twice she tried to tell us to let her go, but yet we stepped in for intervention, to escalate care. Selfishly, we just needed more time. This wasn’t supposed to happen, not this quick. As the day passed, we realized sooner and sooner Oaklyn needed us to be strong, and for once – her to be weak. And as parents, we HAD to do that. She deserved for us to be strong for her. So as a family of three, we decided our little girl had been a warrior for long enough. She finally heard her daddy sing and play guitar, even showing excitement with a little jump of her body before it was time. And in Oaklyn fashion, she still fought until the very last breath, ten minutes after the her vent was pulled. We kept quietly begging her to just let go, that it would be ok… when finally and so peacefully, she did. At 6:03pm, she took her last breath on her favorite spot, skin-to-skin right on mommy’s chest, with both of us wrapped in daddy’s arms surrounded by a room full of those who loved her. 

After she passed, Mom and Dad finally got to see her without all the tubes, lines, machines, and bandages attached to her. We got to see her not struggle to breath or be uncomfortable when handled. The swelling subsided, her facial features began to show, and we loved every single second we had left. We tried to stare at her face, touch her skin as long as we could. Her body failed so quickly, that she wasn’t stable enough to do anything, but be skin to skin with us when she was alive. So, the following five hours after she let go, we got to bathe her, dress her, swaddle her, and snuggle her with the help of incredible nurses encouraging us to have those final moments despite the hesitancy we initially felt. It soon became therapeutic because we knew Oaklyn deserved all those things. We wish she could’ve felt these sweet moments when she was alive, but we pray that she was looking down on us knowing her parents just couldn’t stop.

Oaklyn was loved (*is loved) to T H E  E N D  O F T H I S  E A R T H with mommy and daddy never leaving her side. Literally thousands of people praying for her, rooting for her, hurting for her, and loving her. We hope that she touched y’all’s lives in any way possible, and to realize life is never guaranteed, and is always so damn precious. Because this, this was never our plan. 

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Her daddy keeps telling everyone, she didn’t lose the battle… that she just ran out of time. Love your little ones so tightly for us tonight because in the end, we’d give A N Y T H I N G to do that with her. Oaklyn, Mommy and Daddy love you SO much it hurts. We will never be the same. You are so strong, and we are SO proud of you.”